Free Web NovelChapter 196: A New Friend
The situation’s urgency ran wildly as the settlement’s best soldiers rushed to Shinon’s aid. By the amount of noise they were making, it was a miracle that no one encountered any mutated undead.
John, Lina, Nix, and Alex led the charge, as they were the ones who knew the location of the undead monster. Despite bringing as many reinforcements as possible, John wasn’t confident in their victory.
And who could blame him? All of them had seen the monstrous undead creature, a nightmarish being that defied all reason and logic. Fighting against something like that would require a lot of sacrifices, and he didn’t think the settlement had enough people to sacrifice.
"It should be around here," John informed the rest. "Start preparing yourselves, for this might be the last time you get to pray for strength."
Whispers spread across the makeshift army, but even then, they did not stop and kept charging ahead. Shinon had helped them countless times without faltering once. Now it was their turn to return the favour, and they wouldn’t wobble either.
As they ran, Lina recounted the horror they had witnessed to the others, her words carrying a weight of dread.
"It was like nothing I’ve ever seen," Lina’s voice was grim as she recounted the encounter. "Bones twisted and reshaped, a mass of decay and darkness. It was massive, relentless. Our attacks barely left a dent on that bastard."
Nix nodded in agreement as if she could still see the monstrosity before her. "Its presence alone was suffocating. We fought, but it kept coming, adapting to everything we threw at it."
"We barely made it out alive. It seemed invincible," John said, remembering how Shinon helped them escape while engaging with the monster himself. "I can’t imagine anyone willingly going up against something like it... except for Shinon. That man is a lunatic."’
It looked like Alex also wanted to say something, but bit her tongue at the last moment. She wasn’t someone who enjoyed interacting with others, and the case wasn’t any different this time either.
Nova, Selena, Kira, and Rico exchanged worried glances as John and the rest spoke. Their concern for Shinon’s safety was etched on their faces, fear for his well-being gnawing at their hearts.
Nova’s usually confident demeanour was replaced with a furrowed brow, and Selena’s expression was both worry and frustration.
"Where is that guy when you need him?" she muttered, a scowl marring her features. "We all should try to save him, but no! This fucker has to think about his bruised ego."
Selena was talking about Marcus, who remained conspicuously silent, his gaze averted as if the unfolding events were beneath his concern. Although she wasn’t sure, it looked like Marcus wanted something to happen to Shinon.
It would have made sense if that was the case, as they had always been on separate edges of the rope. Even the nonchalance displayed by Marcus was concerning, and Selena was dead set on having a chat with him once they were done dealing with the mess.
As their hurried footsteps echoed through the entrance of the crematorium, the dark interior swallowed them as they rushed forward.
The air was thick with a smell of rotting flesh masking everything, their senses alert for any sign of danger. As they ventured further inside, their eyes widened at the sight that greeted them.
There, atop a heap of undead corpses, sat Shinon. His posture relaxed, his expression oddly serene as if enjoying a leisurely afternoon. His blade was propped against his shoulder, starkly contrasting the chaos surrounding him. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"What the hell?" Nix’s voice held a mixture of disbelief and exasperation as she took in the scene.
Lina’s brow furrowed as she approached Shinon, her voice tinged with concern and annoyance. "Are you seriously sitting there like you’re on a picnic?"
"He’s just... sitting there?" Selena’s eyes widened as she saw him. Her worry about Shinon’s safety slowly turned into surprise.
"Is he alright? How did he...?" Kira asked, her eyes scanning the room for any dangers, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t see anything that could threaten them.
Rico’s brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on Shinon. "What in the world is he doing?"
Everyone had similar thoughts rushing through their minds. They had abandoned everything and rushed to help Shinon, who was already safe and sound, even without their help.
"Tsk..."
The only person who did not look pleased with the outcome was Marcus, as he had hoped with Shinon’s death, the proof of his betrayal would be lost forever. Yet there he was, sitting on a pile of corpses as if it was a throne.
"Hey there," he called out, his voice oddly casual given the circumstances. "Y’all took your sweet time getting here."
"Hey there?" Selena retorted. "That’s all you have to say? What the hell even happened here?"
"Let’s just say I made a new friend in there." He said, gesturing toward the heap of undead corpses beneath him.
Everyone was confused about what Shinon was referring to as a friend. Some even looked at each other, gesturing as if Shinon had lost a screw or two.
"A new friend? What are you talking about?" Rico put everyone’s thoughts before Shinon.
"Here, it’ll be better to show you instead."
Saying so, Shinon extended his shadow as they moved within the pile of corpses like a bunch of snakes. The next moment, shadows split into countless tiny threads and began stitching the bodies together.
Soon a grotesque figure appeared before them. The group’s gasps of surprise and shock filled the air as they took in the sight of the peculiar companion. The creature blinked with mismatched eyes, its stitched lips pulling into a lopsided grin.
"This guy helped me take care of the monster from before," Shinon lied through his teeth.
He knew disclosing the truth wasn’t the best choice, as Marcus might alert Aric about his ability. Since the ’copying’ part of his ability was the core of his plan, he couldn’t risk Aric preparing contingencies to counter it.
As for the lie, it wasn’t far-fetched enough for the rest to think that he was lying. After all, he was known for his weird tricks. As such, no one should question him about it.
’Seems like a simple lie, but it’s an effective one.’ Shinon smiled while looking at everyone’s surprised faces.
